Written Answers Wednesday 6 August 2008

Scottish Executive

Communities

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what awards it has made from its Race, Religion and Refugee Integration funding since its inception, broken down by (a) recipient, (b) amount awarded and (c) date of award.

Stewart Maxwell: The Race, Religion and Refugee Integration funding stream will run from 2008 to 2011. Applicants were informed of the result of their application by letter on 28 July 2008. The successful applicants are as follows;

  

 Recipient
 Amount Awarded
 Date of Award


 Highland Diversity Project – Inverness Citizens Advice Bureau
£80,000
 28 July 2008


 Community Law Centre in Govanhill – Govan Law Centre Trust
£244,000
 28 July 2008


"Me Included" – Multi Ethnic Aberdeen Ltd
£165,000
 28 July 2008


 Happy to Translate Logo Initiative– Trust Housing Association 
£36,566
 28 July 2008


 Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Work – Bridging the Gap
£186,000
 28 July 2008


 Minority Communities Service Development Project – Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice Service
£68,670
 28 July 2008


 Workplace ESOL Project –  Glasgow ESOL Forum
£185,000
 28 July 2008


 Black Community Skills Project – Skillnet Edinburgh
£250,000
 28 July 2008


 Integration and Orientation programme – Integrating Toryglen Community Ltd
£165,000
 28 July 2008


 Ladders to Employability and Integration – Bridges Programme
£240,000
 28 July 2008


 Integration Network –  Maryhill Integration Network
£190,000
 28 July 2008


 Asylum Seeker and Refugee Project – Maryhill Citizens Advice Bureau
£187,000
 28 July 2008


 Good Community Relations Project – West of Scotland Race Equality Council
£240,000
 28 July 2008


 Govanhill Together – Crossroads Youth and Community Association 
£160,000
 28 July 2008


 Race and Religion Relations Support Service – Dundee Citizens Advice Bureau
£109,000
 28 July 2008


 Empowering Youth: Future Leaders – Scottish Islamic Foundation
£190,000
 28 July 2008


 Connecting and Empowering Communities – Scottish Council of Jewish Communities
£100,000
 28 July 2008


 Inter-Faith Development Project – Edinburgh Interfaith Association
£190,000
 28 July 2008


 National Development Programme (Phase 2) - Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People
£195,000
 28 July 2008


 Youth – Faith Exploration  Services - Youth Community Support Agency
£190,000
 28 July 2008


 Volunteer and Learning Development Project -  Greater Pollok Integration Network
£130,000
 28 July 2008


 Improving Access For All – Ethnic Minorities Law Centre
£236,000
 28 July 2008


 Gypsy/Traveller Advice and Support Project – Gypsy Traveller Education and Information Project
£105,000
 28 July 2008


 Women and Children’s Project – Legal Services Agency
£27,000
 28 July 2008


 Festival of Spirituality and Peace – Church of St John the Evangelist
£130,000
 28 July 2008


 Empowering Individuals Media Skills – Awaz FM
£190,000
 28 July 2008


 Partners in Mental Health – Saheliya
£165,000
 28 July 2008


 One Workplace Equal Rights Project – Scottish Trades Union Congress
£165,000
 28 July 2008


 New Migrants Action Project - Positive Action in Housing
£160,000
 28 July 2008


 Family Counselling, Mediation and Advocacy project – Amina
£126,000
 28 July 2008


 DIWC Integration Project – Dundee International Women’s Centre
£160,000
 28 July 2008


 3R Project –  Young Scot
£330,000
 28 July 2008


 Building Partnerships Work  - Scottish Alliance of Racial Equality Councils (working through Central Racial Equality Council, Edinburgh and Lothians REC, Grampian REC and West of Scotland REC)
£330,000
 28 July 2008


 Total
£5,625,236

Communities

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm that over £1.9 million of the Race Equality, Integration and Community Support Fund was allocated in 2006.

Stewart Maxwell: A two year allocation of £1,982,791 was made in 2006 to projects under the Race Equality, Integration and Community Support Fund covering the financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Communities

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any additional money was allocated to the Race Equality, Integration and Community Support Fund in 2007 and, if so, how much.

Stewart Maxwell: The Race Equality, Integration and Community Support Fund was allocated two years funding of £1,982,791 in 2006. This allocation covered the two financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Communities

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the largest sum allocated from the Race Equality, Integration and Community Support Fund has been and which organisation received that money.

Stewart Maxwell: The Race Equality, Integration and Community Support Fund only permitted a maximum grant of £50,000. The Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project and the Ethnic Minorities Law Centre both received the maximum grant of £50,000 per year for two years.

Economy

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to change the GDP methodology used to assess economic performance for Scotland Performs and the Scottish Government’s economic strategy.

John Swinney: The methodology presented in the section on the economic growth targets in Scotland Performs outlines how Scotland’s recent performance against this measure is assessed. In addition to showing the latest direction of travel Scotland Performs will also present an assessment of whether or not we are on track to achieve the targets. Information on this is expected to be presented on Scotland Performs later this year.

  Scottish GDP statistics are independently produced following the National Statistics Code of Practice. As with all National Statistics, the data sources and methods used in the measurement and production are subject to regular quality assurance reviews.

Finance

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to diverting any funds under its control from investments in companies in Zimbabwe.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not have investments in companies in Zimbabwe, nor does it offer financial assistance to companies in Zimbabwe.

General Practitioners

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is monitoring the impact of extended hours in GP surgeries on the use of NHS24 between (a) 7.30 am and 9.00 am and 5.30 pm and 7.30 pm on Monday to Friday and (b) 8.00 am and 12.30 pm on Saturday.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS 24 is not required to specifically monitor call volumes in relation to changes to GP surgery hours. They do, however, constantly monitor volumes of calls both during and out with peak demand times.

  The purpose of extended hours is to increase the opportunity for patients to access routine scheduled appointments with GPs. We are not expecting people to attend their GP surgery who would otherwise have phoned NHS 24 because of an unscheduled care requirement.

  There are no plans to monitor the effect of extended hours on NHS 24 call volumes.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many women have been transferred to a hospital outwith their home NHS board area as a result of a shortage of neo-natal care in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not centrally available. However, whilst data on this subject has not routinely been collected in the past, the perinatal collaborative transport study, which was published by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, on Sunday 27 July 2008, sought to collect this type of data over a six month period to February 2007.

  A link to the study is attached below:

  http://www.nhshealthquality.org/nhsqis/files/CoTS%20Final%20Report.pdf.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister was told about the outbreak of Clostridium difficile in the Vale of Leven Hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the statement I made to the Parliament on 18 June 2008. I was first informed of cases of Clostridium difficile at Vale of Leven Hospital on 21 May 2008 and I first updated the First Minister at that time.

Planning

Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to issue its determination on the current Uddingston Grammar School planning application.

Stewart Stevenson: Scottish ministers will make every effort to reach a decision by 26 August 2008 on whether to call-in the application or clear it back to the council to decide.

Population

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected population of Dundee in 2018 is, broken down into (a) men aged 16 to 64 and (b) women aged 16 to 59.

John Swinney: The most recent, 2006-based, population projections can be found on the General Register Office for Scotland website using the following link:

  http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/popproj/06pop-proj-scottishareas/index.html.

  These show that the projected population of Dundee City in 2018 is 137,597 and that this includes (a) 41,138 men aged 16 to 64 and (b) 40,443 women aged 16 to 59.

Public Appointments

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) public and (b) other official appointments under its control are subject to an upper age limit.

John Swinney: Public and other official appointments are not subject to an upper age limit, with the exception of appointments to the Parole Board. Schedule 2 of the Prisoners and Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Act 1993 states that "an appointment of a person as a member of the Parole Board shall not extend beyond the day when the person reaches the age of 75".

Scottish Futures Trust

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any form of NPD model referred to in Taking Forward the Scottish Futures Trust which is not also a PPP.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14553 on 18 July 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Scottish Futures Trust

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it estimates that the Scottish Futures Trust will be operational.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13276 on 3 June 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search

Scottish Government Staff

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent in recruiting its staff in (a) Edinburgh and (b) Scotland in each year since 2000.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not collate information on the total spend in recruiting its staff. Information is collated on certain aspects of cost of recruitment where the spend is made through the centrally managed contracts which have been put in place by Scottish Government HR and procurement professionals to support recruitment activity. Spend is not split by geographical region. The following tables show relevant spend on civil service recruitment under two contracts for recruitment advertising and related services, and another for assessment centres and related services for the periods requested.

  Table A: Expenditure on Recruitment Advertising and Related Services.

  

 Calendar Year
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005
 2006
 2007


 Annual Spend (£)
 658,625
 734,012
 750,967
 776,617
 870,233
 1,280,779
 717,731
 942,433



  Note: The table shows expenditure on recruitment advertising for civil service posts. Organisations may have sourced additional recruitment advertising services under other contracts and any such expenditure is not included here.

  Table B: Expenditure on Assessment Centres and Related Services.

  

 Calendar Year
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005
 2006
 2007


 Annual Spend (£)
 330,422
 358,640
 479,838
 552,275
 414,355
 784,040
 433,246
 767,520



  Note: The table shows expenditure on assessment centre and related services for civil service posts. Organisations may have sourced additional assessment centre services under other contracts and any such expenditure is not included here. The centrally managed contract did not commence until 2001 and figures for 2000 include a variety of ad-hoc projects around recruitment and selection, particularly fast stream recruitment.

Scottish Government Staff

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been paid from public funds for parking fines incurred by its employees since May 2007.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government staff handbook makes it clear that staff incurring car parking fines for parking illegally whilst on official business will not be reimbursed from official funds.

  However there are occasions when circumstances arise which are beyond the control of officials and which prevent officials returning to parked vehicles in time to avoid incurring parking fines. Such occasions are very rare but do sometimes arise. An example would be where there is a meeting between a Minister and the public, supported by an official, which overruns the scheduled time allocated.

  Since May 2007, five occasions have arisen where the Scottish Government has reimbursed officials for car parking fines incurred, at a total cost of £171.50. A clear audit trail outlining the individual reasons for applying for reimbursement is held on file for audit inspection.

  Information about parking fines is contained in the following table.

  

 Year
 Number of Parking Fines
 Area
 Total Costs Incurred


 From May 2007
 4
 Edinburgh, Perth, Glasgow
£141.50


 2008 to Date
 1
 Edinburgh
£30

Scottish Government Staff

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive in which of its directorates or agencies there are differential rates of pay for women and men in the same job.

John Swinney: Within the Scottish Government main bargaining unit staff are paid on pay ranges appropriate to their job. These pay ranges have a minimum and maximum rate of pay and a number of intermediate pay steps. If staff are assessed as performing to an effective standard they progress through their pay range by one pay step each year. This arrangement applies to both women and men.

Transport

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the embedment of its Travel Plan into existing corporate and departmental processes was last reviewed and costed and what the results were.

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to maximise the efficiency of its fleet since the its Travel Plan was introduced in December 2007.

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has introduced a parking system which supports the delivery of the travel objectives in the Travel Plan introduced in December 2007 and, if so, how this system operates.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14886 on 31 July 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .